


Hidden in the Creases

by Phoebeus



Series: These Days We Celebrate [3]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, M/M, adorable boys being adorable, pre-puzzleshipping feels, romantic or platonic at your discretion, though I am reaaally starting to push that distinction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-13 20:50:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10521591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebeus/pseuds/Phoebeus
Summary: A day off of school should be filled with fun, smiles, and festivities… Not fevers, studies, and far too much colored paper.[Installment in "These Days We Celebrate" - A series focused on Yuugi & Yami no Yuugi's bond between the defeat of Pegasus and introduction of Otogi.]





	1. Chapter 1

**:: Nov 2 – Culture Day ::**

Yuugi sneezed and wiped his nose on the inside of his cuff without stalling his walk, much less disrupting the smile he offered his sole company. “What did you think of the contest, _mou hitori no boku_?”

_It was great, getting to see you and all of your classmates so energetic about it. You really had fun, didn’t you?_

“Yup!” he replied with a grin, his throat stinging slightly with the little outburst. The spirit could feel the discomfort like it was his own, and for a heartbeat his grin twisted with concern… Only to soften again as his partner’s expression went warm, color touching his cheeks. “I can’t believe how pretty all of the girls turned out to be- Usually we only see them in the school uniform, so it was wild seeing them all dressed up like that.”

The other Yuugi’s smile twitched back into place. That flush, and the flutter in Yuugi’s chest, and the way the boy’s thoughts so tentatively, but obviously slid over those memories? How could the spirit not help but tease those pleasant emotions a little further into life?

_Anzu **was** very pretty in that green dress._

“Pu- _haah_! You, think so?” Yuugi scoffed, trying and failing to come across as casual. His true stutter was obvious both inside and out, and the spirit could only grin and enjoy the emotions sliding back and forth between them in a short burst of open connection.

Sharp, confused embarrassment.

Warm, shameless amusement.

Mild, benign irritation.

Equally mild, fond reticence.

All shared in the space of an eyeblink, and then Yuugi shook his head with a quickly shifting attention- And a sudden epiphany of a new smile, warm as the last was in its own way. “Well anyways, it was cool- And I thought it was going to be really awkward when class proposed it, but the boy’s round was actually pretty fun, too! We got to cheer on the guys just like the girls!”

It was common enough to host a contest for _girls_ at a school festival, after all, but _that_ had been quite the last minute surprise!

 _Yes_ , the other Yuugi agreed, crossing his arms as he lounged back in the air- The magic of the Puzzle keeping him at Yuugi’s side as the teen continued his walk home. _It’s still too bad that you didn’t join in- I know it would be a lot of attention, but I think the response might have surprised you_.

That time, Yuugi’s scoff was real- Even if his smile lingered on. “Maybe if you took control- You’d wow the crowd into voting for you in an instant.” The spirit’s head jerked around at the counter, the compliment barely registering over the self-depreciation folded beneath. He frowned, made to speak- But his partner’s own thoughts had moved on, his smile turned back to the street before them. “And anyways, I wanted to be there in the crowd to cheer Honda-kun on.”

… _it was very brave of him to participate_ , the spirit had to admit, filing the issue Yuugi had just dodged away for discussion _later_ in favor of preserving the peace of their usual evening walk. _Even if the girl he wished to attract turned him down after the show, it was good to see him pursue the person he wanted so fearlessly, until the end._

“Yeah, and you can’t even fault him there. I mean, you couldn’t fault him anyways, but _still_ \- How was he supposed to know that she was already quietly dating an upperclassman? That’s got to be better than being turned down by your own merit, right?” Yuugi answered- Only to slowly stall into a quiet, frowning confusion that turned the spirit’s focus on him from mild to intent. “Or… Is that worse, knowing someone you like, likes someone else? Is with them?”

 _…I do not know, aibou_. It wasn’t exactly a subject he contemplated very often. He knew what dating was and how it worked, of course- He had Yuugi’s memories and his own observations to rely on there. But, none of it really applied to _him_ in any way, so he hadn’t given the topic much personal thought… The best he could do was shrug slightly and spitball a half-baked reply. _I am sure everyone is different in that respect, but my instinct is to say, if you like someone, you would want to be with them- But you would want them to be happy even more. So if you see someone you like is happy, with someone else…_

Yuugi didn’t reply at first, his mind a strange tangle the spirit could not decipher as his eyes flickered across the concrete, confused emotions in his gaze- Until he finally nodded. “Yeah… You’re probably right. Honda-kun didn’t seem _happy_ , but he did say something like ‘that guy better make her happy’… And he cheered up pretty fast when we went to see the dance club’s show. It must be pretty confusing, but I guess, how can you be sad when someone you like is smiling?”

 _Exactly_ , the spirit agreed, relieved to discover his answer was an acceptable one.

It bolstered his confidence enough to press the conversation along when Yuugi let it drag into silence, asking the next logical question. _And what about the faculty round of the contest? Was that not strange?_

“D’eahh-” By Yuugi’s face, that would be a resounding _yes_ from all sides. “That’s an understatement. I never wanted to see the coach like _that_ \- And, well… Chono-sensei.”

 _Yes_ , his other agreed, matching Yuugi’s open disgust and confused blush with simple, flat disinterest. _I am still amazed that she was allowed to wear that on campus._

Yuugi let out another distressed sound- Only to devolve into a series of coughs that finally made them both stop… And brought the spirit’s distress back to the forefront of his thoughts.

_Are you certain you are alright, aibou?_

“-course,” Yuugi managed to get out as he rubbed his face with his sleeve again, folding his coughs away down his throat.

The spirit was less than convinced. _Because I can sense it- You’re warm and groggy in the head._

“Yeah, it probably is a fever- But it isn’t bad. It’s probably just the weather,” he theorized, glancing up at the grey, heavy clouds hanging overhead.

 _Still_ , his other countered- But Yuugi just sighed, and his emotional state quickly stole attention from his physical one.             

“I just feel really bad, abandoning my shift at the class café. I couldn’t even wash dishes this morning with this.” He held up his right hand, indicating the bandages still wrapped around his palm.

A souvenir of their encounter with that gang two days ago.

“And now Jounouchi-kun and Bakura-kun will have to serve twice as fast to make up for me being gone.”

 _Anzu and Honda said they would rush the preparations for the bonfire and come back to help with the last customers._ Yuugi nodded, but the spirit could see at a glance that he was still low… And with nothing else occurring to him, the best he could do was offer a hesitant _I am sorry you have to miss the closing ceremonies with everyone, and the dance afterwards_.

“No, that’s okay…” Yuugi began, smiling a bit- Already looking a little lighter at the spirit’s consideration.

The other Yuugi, easily encouraged, took a quick survey of his partner’s form in whole before adding _And you barely got to show off that waiter costume the theater club tailored for you- Anzu and Bakura were right, it suits you well._

-the spirit couldn’t swear if the sound Yuugi made was a cough, gasp, or laugh, and even the feeling that went through the boy and up through him was more _shock_ than anything else.

But as it passed the boy tugged lightly at the pant-leg of his perfectly tailored black trousers. The little red half-apron he had worn over them had been left behind at school, and his school coat covered most of the matching red shirt, now stained with snot on the cuff.

But Yuugi still looked distinguished in the spirit’s eyes, and the shy but shining grin he shot him did nothing to dampen that view. “Thanks, _mou hitori no boku_ …”

The spirit just smiled back, warm satisfaction steady and still in his chest- Until his partner broke the moment by sending a sharp, buzzing sensation up his arm with the poke of a single finger.

“But you know, I never got to see _you_ in it- You’re still wearing my school uniform like always, even now!”

 _…was there some reason I should ‘put on’ that uniform_?

“Haha… No, I guess not.”

* * *

_Aibou_ …

There was no answer, but the other Yuugi really hadn’t expected any.

It was obvious enough, via the strained stillness of Yuugi’s mind and the prone hang of his head on his school book.

The boy had nodded off.

The spirit could only shake his head with a resigned lack of surprise. He had expected something like this. The moment they made it home Yuugi had dinner with his family, and Mama had reminded him that he had homework still left undone- Readings Yuugi had to finish by Tuesday.

And he would have no time tomorrow on _Monday_ to do them, what with helping his grandfather in the shop.

Culture Day was one of those rare holidays where Kame Game could stay open and expect a huge crowd of kids, all off of school and nearby for the parade, so Yuugi’s grandpa would need all of the help he could get.

And with that on his mind, Yuugi had failed to mention his fever at all… And it had only grown worse as the hours ticked on, and he fought against it to finish his work.

 _You pushed yourself too hard,_ the spirit mumbled, soft enough that he didn’t expect Yuugi to stir.

Yuugi didn’t need work, crowds, or homework… He needed _rest_.

-slowly, hesitant in his own decision, the spirit reached into the body and pulled out the boy’s soul.

It was a very delicate operation, getting Yuugi into his soul room without rousing him into consciousness. But the spirit found it to be far easier than he might have expected- Yuugi apparently took his other’s proximity and movement as a given, and was not disturbed in the least by being ‘moved about’ by him.

It made him nostalgic for those earliest days, when he would carry the boy’s sleeping soul within himself as a natural part of taking control of the body- But that wasn’t necessary anymore, and the other Yuugi wouldn’t trade the conscious, active bond he shared with his partner for all the cards in the world.

Effort successful, the spirit lingered in that bright room just long enough to confirm the boy dreamed on… And then he left- Took the emptied body for himself.

A little magic and determination woke the flesh- And it was only then that the other Yuugi hit his first true struggle.

He felt _horrid_.

He could barely lift his brow from the book, and every inch he rose sent tight pain through his neck, and his head, and just his _whole body_.

He pressed his palm against the sting in his eyes to still the dizziness- And keep his emotions at a low key, lest he alert his partner.

He would have to do this quickly.

Thankfully, difficult as it was to move and think in that body, what he sought to do was simple.

Muscle memory alone led him through the efforts- Discarding the uniform Yuugi had kept on through dinner and studying, pulling out and putting on a set of pajamas, going into the restroom to wash his face, brush his teeth, and finally pull out a bottle of painkillers that would soften the fever… All easy, simple tasks that took less than ten minutes.

And with the last ones completed – setting the alarm in time for breakfast in the morning, and stringing the Puzzle over the bed post – the spirit climbed between the sheets.

He waited some minutes still, staring at the ceiling… But eventually he felt the pain recede as the medicine took effect.

Soon he was on the very edge of an exhausted, but far more comfortable sleep… And he felt free to reach within himself once again.

Drawing the boy back _out_ was even easier than tucking him away to begin with.

Yuugi stirred, just a bit, at finding himself back in a body not _quite_ unconscious.

But a single reassuring brush against his mind was all it took to still him, and he fell back to sleep with a single roll of the head… Allowing the spirit to retreat back to the Puzzle after only a moment’s pause and a few unheard words.

 _Good night, aibou_.


	2. Chapter 2

**:: Nov 3 – Culture Day ::**

“Yuugi-kuuuun! Turn off your alarm and come down! Your rice and eggs are getting cold!”

“ _Guhh_ …” The sound Yuugi made was barely human, and he honestly couldn’t say which way was up or down, as he tried to rise. He simply leaned the direction he didn’t feel the obstruction of a mattress.

“Yuugiiii-”

“Yeees-” he called back, only to get cut off by a long, hacking cough. W-what-

 _Sorry, aibou_.

“Eh?” Yuugi blinked the room into hazy focus, and found his other self sitting there at the desk, his arms crossed tight over his blue pajama shirt. Somehow he looked even  _more_  tired than Yuugi felt, with his frown and heavy eyes. “What are you sorry for?”

“You alright, my boy?” interrupted a voice before the spirit could answer. His grandpa stood in the door, already dressed for the day and looking mildly concerned to find Yuugi still in bed. “Your alarm has been going off for five minutes.”

“Oh-  _Ah_ , sorry _Jii-chan_!” Yuugi turned around to pick up the clock that, quite honestly, he had barely noticed.

His ears were ringing all on their own, what was one artificial addition?

…w-wait. Had he, even  _set_  his alarm the night before? When did he do that? He was, reading, last he remembered…

“…one moment-” His grandfather turned and disappeared, distracting Yuugi from his inner confusion by calling ‘ _Yui-chan!_ ’ out in the hallway.

“-wonder what that’s about,” Yuugi mumbled as he shifted to the edge of the bed, movements once again slow and sluggish without a familial witness.

 _I think I can guess_.

“Oh?” Yuugi looked at him expectantly, only to stall toeing into his house slippers as he noticed the quiet,  _satisfied_  sort of edge to his other’s expression. “-what are you thinking, _mou hitori no boku_?”

The spirit flicked his gaze back up to Yuugi’s face- But he said nothing… And when he instantly turned to observe the two coming into the room, Yuugi was hit with a certainty that he had  _stalled_  his reply on purpose.

“Is it true?”

“Huh?” Yuugi blinked up, taken aback by the frown on his mother’s face… But not, really baffled. He could take a guess what she meant, and all he could really do in the face of it was smile widely and move to stand. “What do you mean, Mama? Sorry, but I can’t get dressed with you in here, but if you’re okay with me eating in my paja-”

-in the end, daring to talk that long sealed his own fate.

The cough hit him mid-word as he slammed into some unseen limit to his endurance, racking him with hacks at the worst possible moment.

His mother’s hand was on his brow before the coughing even passed.

“So it is. You're burning up, Yuugi-kun!”

“-it’s nothing…” he mumbled, more on impulse than any sense of that he would get anywhere. No, he knew as soon as his mother and grandpa locked eyes with those concerned frowns... But still, he felt the need to argue. “It's just a cold or something.”

“Still, if you have a fever, then you are sick. Too sick to work,” his grandpa admonished. “There's no helping it, Yuugi. You can come down to eat if your mother approves, but you are not helping in the shop.”

“But-!”

“No arguments, Yuugi-kun,” his mother cut in, tone sharp where his grandfather’s had been firm. “I will help _Otou-san_ in the shop. You need to rest so that you can go to school tomorrow- And you would likely discourage the customers, even if we did let you come down. What if one of them caught your cold?”

Yuugi had already shut his mouth at her initial order, but he had just been waiting for a chance to protest again- Until she said _that_.

A distant whiff of warm sympathy passed through his senses, but he couldn’t acknowledge it or turn to his other- Not while he gave his family a slow, downturned nod. “Alright, Mama,” he mumbled, moving to go back to bed without looking up.

 _…aibou, turn around_.

The soft order spun him back around, and he discovered his two guardians sharing a _look_ \- Uncertain, hesitant. And when they noticed him there, staring so curiously, his grandfather gave a humming sigh. “Hmm, Yui-chan, did you finish those turtles for the bags yet?”

“Oh… No, I didn’t. I was going to do them this morning after breakfast,” Mama turned to Yuugi as she explained. “He means the origami turtles we were going to gift every customer who came by and purchased something the hour before the parade starts this afternoon- As an advertisement.”

“Yes, and now you’re going to be in the shop at the same time that you were going to make them,” his grandpa ‘observed’, meeting Yuugi’s eye with a satisfied grin. “ _That_ wouldn’t take you out of bed, and you can stop if you get tired- So, do you think you could sub in with paper-folding today, my boy?”

“I can show you how to do it, and I have a brochure with the instructions I learned it from,” his mother pitched in with a small smile- One Yuugi met with a far wider, relieved echo.

“Sure- I can handle that!” He would do anything if it would help relieve some of the guilt of watching his friends and family work their butts off because _he_ had the worst timing with a cold!

And making paper turtles, even he could handle that!

* * *

“How… Did I fold one of the flaps the wrong way in the last step?”

_I don’t think so. Maybe the lines were just not straight enough at the initial folding?_

“…and I just figured out how to do the feet properly,” Yuugi sighed as he finally gave up, dropping the green scrap of folded paper onto the tiny pile growing at the foot of his desk. “I wish there was a way to retry with the same paper- That stuff has to be expensive, and I’m wasting a lot of it.”

_That was only your fourth try, aibou. I am sure you will master it soon, and then the rest will flow quickly enough._

“Yeah… Yeah, you’re right!” He dropped both hands to his desktop with a determined nod, looking up just long enough to shoot the spirit a grin before grabbing another square of paper from the colorful pile before him. “Thanks! I’ll keep at it. There should be enough here- I can go all day if I have to, or at least until the parade starts.”

_Right… But-_

-?

The question was clear in Yuugi’s eyes as he glanced up, but the hovering spirit dropped his gaze to frown at the desk- And the hands that had just barely started folding blue paper in half. _Didn’t you have a test tomorrow morning to study for?_

“…the readings…” Yuugi had apparently forgotten completely, given the way he looked at the book that he had pushed aside earlier- Still left open at the top of his desk. “I- Didn’t I finish them last night?”

He had barely even started, but his other did not say so. Need not say so, for the realization was clear in Yuugi’s face- In the reconfiguration of the thoughts behind his eyes and-

“I- I can probably finish both today, right?”

Again, his other did not reply. 

The truth was he thought Yuugi _could_ do it. He could do pretty much anything, if he set his mind to it. But the spirit was wary to encourage him in that particular endeavor. He had seen firsthand how it strained him to read through a fever, and trying in a medicine fog likely wouldn't prove much better. Even if Yuugi started studying as soon as he finished the origami, he would likely be at it for the rest of the day, and-

“You don't look happy.”

The spirit blinked out of a subconsciously formed glower to discover Yuugi twisted about, staring up at him. The familiar perception in those eyes jolted through his thoughts, sent him sliding back in the air a few inches as he crossed his arms. _-I was wondering if you'll have enough time to rest and recover if you do both. You're still sick, after all._

“-right,” Yuugi mumbled, frowning down the text and paper spread out across his desk. “There won’t be much point to all that studying if they just send me home tomorrow before the test- Or if I can’t even go in.” That wasn’t exactly the spirit’s point, but before he could say so his partner sighed and turned to him again. “But unless you have another idea, I don’t know what else to do- Except maybe skip the studies, and hope for the best.”

No. There had to be another way. They just needed _some way_ for Yuugi to finish everything he needed to with enough time left over to rest- And enough of a clear head to take in what he had to read in the first place.

But the night before had shown he couldn’t think straight with that cold, or flu, or whatever it was. The other Yuugi had felt it himself when he was in the flesh, and he could only imagine how Yuugi felt right then. The spirit could sense the edges of a groggy haze himself but, there was no strain on his own coherency. _He_ could think straight, because he had no flesh to ail him.

… _I have an idea._

Yuugi- He had just started folding that blue paper again when the other spoke up, prompting surprised eyes to skip up with an airy rush of question. “What do you mean?”

_What if I made the turtles, and you studied for the test?_

The spirit expected the pause that followed – the struggle humming like static from his partner’s mind – and endured it easily. He focused instead on dropping down to his own feet, ‘standing’ at Yuugi’s side as he pointed to the book. _The text is small. It would take a good few minutes to read through each page, even with your notes from school to help, so you don’t need to touch it for long periods. You could easily read for a while, and let me know when you need me to turn or flip a page, or jot something down-_

“I get it. I can focus on my studies while you work on the origami, because I wouldn’t need my body to read.”

 _-exactly_. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that his partner would catch on so quickly, but the flat, frowning way Yuugi summarized the plan left the spirit stiff, staring uncertainly as he dropped his hand. _If it seems like a bad plan_ -

“No, it’s a really good one,” he admitted, only to blink that frown up on his other, pinning him down with the simple weight of his expression. “But… the medicine and cough drops help, _mou hitori no boku_ , but it’s still not fun. You’d be stuck with my sore throat and useless head while you work, for who knows how long.”

 _That’s no worse than what you were looking to endure_ , the spirit countered, finding his bearing and confidence again, knowing his partner’s only complaint was _his_ well-being. _And I won’t need to study afterwards, like you- and it’s no good if I study in your place. You are the one who has to take the test. So if we split the tasks, I should be the one to make the turtles._

Yuugi nodded, but it was clearly his head his other had convinced, not his heart. He just kept looking down at his lap, crumbling the material of his pajama pants in his fists as uncertainty and regret churned in his mind.

The sight- What caused it warmed the spirit’s chest and marked his voice as he called to his partner, drew his gaze back up to his. _I don’t like just sitting by, when I know there is something I could do to help. Please, aibou… Let me help._

Something twitched across Yuugi’s face, and through his heart- Something laced with surprise and softness and wonder and, other things that the spirit had no name for. Emotions that possibly had no name at all, because they were just too subtle and fleeting to ever be pinned down and labeled.

But they were good feelings, he knew that much- Felt it in his own vague reaction.

“Right…” Yuugi broke their gaze again, only to sniff a small, shy laugh as he knocked one knuckle against the center of his brow- A subconscious centering motion. “Of course… Sorry, _mou hitori no boku_. I was so caught up in not burdening anyone else that I… Sure. I would really owe you one, but if you want to do it that way-”

 _I do_. The instant surety drew those checking violet eyes back up, and the spirit met them with an easy smile. _And you should know there’s no such thing as ‘burdens’ or ‘debts’ between us_.

And if there was, well… The one who owed the other _everything_ was _him_.

But he kept that thought to himself, and it did not disturb the moment as Yuugi slowly smiled back, and nodded- And the spirit was quick to ask, _Shall we get started?_

It was a fairly quick, uneventful transition. Yuugi arranged the book and all of his notes on his bed as he liked, checking with his other self the whole while if he had caught all of the instructions to make the turtles, if anything was unclear- And in less than a minute, the other Yuugi had taken control of the flesh.

The throat was, indeed, still sore.

But there was a cough drop tucked in the fold of his right cheek – fruity, and vaguely metallic – and it stifled any urge to cough, even as he looked over to the Yuugi ‘spirit’ sitting on the bed and spoke to him. “-settled in, then?”

_Yup- You see Mama’s brochure there?_

“Aa, I think I’m good.” He had been watching his partner’s efforts, after all.

-that didn’t mean he got it right on the first try, however. Watching and doing were two different things, after all, and the other Yuugi found himself struggling to fold the hind feet the right way, just as Yuugi had. The dizzy weight in his head did not help, either, as he struggled to interpret the little pictures on the brochure and what they were asking him to do- But thankfully he had a good two or three hundred squares to work with, and nothing to do but keep trying.

And around the fifth or six turtle, something finally began to click.

_Mou hitori no boku, could you turn the p- Ah! Awesome!! You got one!_

“Yes,” the other Yuugi answered in satisfaction, setting an orange paper turtle on the desk before turning to his grinning partner. “Next page, then?”

_Yup!_

The rest flowed naturally after that. The task proved to be like riding a bicycle- Once done correctly, each attempt after just strengthened the ease and speed of the task. Soon the other Yuugi had a new, colorful turtle for every four pages his partner requested him to turn- Then every two pages. Then every one!

He had reached the point where he was tossing finished turtles to the floor – there was no more room for them on the desk – when it occurred to him that, no matter how fast he had gotten with the things, it was strange… He shouldn’t be able to finish _three_ without Yuugi requesting another page turn.

The thought made him suddenly aware of it- A pleasant, buzzy feeling on the edge of his senses… like, intrigue? Not _quite_ , but it was so subtle, he hadn’t noticed it creeping into his senses until just then.

It painted his own mind with shock, even before he turned his head and found Yuugi sitting there, right where he had left him- staring at _him_ instead of his notes.

The vague, absorbed light in Yuugi’s eyes was gone in a blink, but it _had_ been there. And all the other Yuugi could do was stare in mute confusion as his partner dissolved into a tense, blustering mess.

_Ah… Sorry!_

“Was I distracting you somehow, _aibou_?”

 _No!_ Yuugi denied, trying to straighten his notes- only to blush as he apparently remembered that he couldn’t touch them, and turned to scratching at the back of his head, instead. _I just, well… You’ve gotten really good at making those?_

The other Yuugi… blinked. “Thank you?” It was the only thing he could think to say, because he wasn’t even sure what to ask. Wasn’t sure if he was missing something through the fog of his head… but Yuugi accepted his reply with a simple nod, and slowly, carefully turned a smile his way.

 _Hey- My mind_ was _starting to wander there, so, would you mind if I read out loud? It might help me take it in. …I mean, if you don’t think it would distract you-_

“No,” the spirit cut in, expression lightening as Yuugi’s turned hopeful. “That would be good- I was starting to zone out too much myself. It might help me, too.”

 _…cool!_ Yuugi cried out, and whatever odd energy might have been in the air, it was swept away by his smile. The spirit reciprocated it until Yuugi turned back to his book, clearing his throat before reading. _By the time of his death in 1582, Oda Nobunaga had brought a central third of the country under his control, covering a broad area around the traditional capital of Kyoto._

The spirit chuckled to himself and turned back to his work with a shake of his head. He wouldn’t take in even half of what Yuugi was saying – he knew that right then and there, as most of it got caught in the thick cobwebs between his ears – but the rhythm of his partner’s voice was a warm hum in his mind as his fingers moved, mindless but motivated, over a new square of paper.

_This period of unification, or reunification began in the 1560s, specifically-_

The other Yuugi dropped a purple turtle onto the floor.

* * *

_Are you comfortable, aibou_?

“Hnn…” Yuugi hummed, slowly opening his eyes to find the spirit hovering over him.

He was as comfortable was he was probably going to get, tucked into bed with the lights out and fresh medicine in him… but that wasn’t much good in the face of his temperature.

His fever had finally peaked.

His mother had come up maybe an hour ago for the turtles. And since he had nothing else to do for the rest of the day save rest, Yuugi had felt free to take it easy and play a few rounds of Free Cell until he got sleepy, with his other’s input when he started missing obvious moves.

He won maybe three games before he felt too dizzy to keep going… and he just couldn’t ignore the appeals to go to bed anymore.

Since then, he had only gotten worse.

 _I am sorry_ the voice went on, the words prompting Yuugi to open and _keep_ his eyes open that time, to take in the regret he saw in his other’s gaze. _I kept taking the painkillers and working when I should have realized your body was worn out… I should have stopped sooner._

“No…” Yuugi croaked, reaching over to his desktop to grab another cough drop and pop it into his mouth before trying again. “-I never would have gotten the turtles and my studies done, if you hadn’t pushed through… _I mean it_ ,” he pressed when he saw his other moving to talk- to protest. And whatever fight had been in the spirit a moment ago died away as Yuugi shot him a sleepy smile. “Thank you, _mou hitori no boku_ … I dunno what I would have done without you.”

The spirit opened his mouth again, ready to speak… only to shut it, some feeling floating across his face and through Yuugi’s head. Like _pain,_ but warmer… sweeter.

He didn’t say anything, but the small, vague smile he offered assured Yuugi he understood… so the boy shut his eyes again.

He dozed for a few seconds, or maybe an hour, before some strange, foreign sounds dragged him back to consciousness.

He squinted through the dim light of sunset streaming into his room to find his other floating in the air, looking out of the skylight. “What is it?”

_It’s the parade. It’s been passing by for a while now… it’s probably almost over._

That probably explained what his other was doing out of the Puzzle, too, but Yuugi didn’t ask. He just blinked up at him, rolling onto his side to reach for another cough drop as he asked, “What’s going by?”

 _Some ladies in crane costumes. There’s some dancers in traditional dress coming up behind them_.

“Mmm…” Yuugi had seen enough of these parades to put together an image from what the spirit said, but it blended and blurred into the fog of his mind, leaving him floating in that still, weightless place between sleep and awake.

Chances were, he would later be unsure if the dancing cranes had been a dream, or a conscious imagining.

There was no draft or sound to mark it, but still Yuugi knew when his other had moved, and come back to his side. _Do you need anything?_

“No…” Yuugi mumbled, cracking a smile for the face frowning over him before shutting his eyes again. “Just, tell me about the parade?”

… _Alright_. And he moved again- Must have returned to window, because there was only a slight pause, and then- _There are some more band members going by, playing horns, with children interspersed among them, dressed in old period kimonos… I think I can see some warriors coming up around the road- Yes, they’re wearing scabbards on their hips. Perhaps they will do a demonstration when they come by the corner…_

Yuugi would never really know, because he nodded off before the samurai made it to the shop.

The fever dragged him into sleep, but didn’t let him rest easy. He would recall it later, waking up once or twice more to the sound of the music and crowds outside, nodding off again without ever lifting his head from the pillow.

The room was properly dark again, the street quiet, when a cough stirred him awake enough to roll over and pop a pill and another drop into his mouth… and he squinted at the world beyond his desk as he swallowed.

He was looking for him, without even being conscious of it- but there was no one there in the shadow of his window.

He didn’t even have to call out, though. A moment’s uncertainty in his own mind, and pinpoints of pressure buzzed at his wrist.

_Are you alright, aibou? Did you need something?_

Yuugi fell back into his pillow, blinked down at the shadow sitting there on his bed… and shook his head. “No…”

The pinpricks squeezed lightly, marked more by the shock of nerves than any real shift of his skin. _Then rest. You already set your alarm, so you can sleep until morning._

Yuugi let his eyes drift shut… a smile twitching at his lips for the permission to slide back into dreams.

He couldn’t be bothered to nod, but he turned his palm to catch the source of that tingling sensation in his hand, and squeezed it.

“Night, _mou hitori no boku_ …” 

_…Good night, aibou._

The hum remained there in his palm, until he fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Music I Wrote This To: [Lazy Afternoon Streets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR8sz24Nybw)
> 
> Please comment and like, and head over to my [FF.net account](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2072972/Phoebe-Delos) to place a vote on which stories I update!


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